Christina Baker, Political Science major
First Blogpost
Interning for Senator Mark Warner’s office has been an extremely rewarding experience, and a misperception I think I had before the internship was that working in a congressional office would be a hyperpolitical environment. What I have found is, while I am surrounded by politics, the main function and focus of a congressional office is to help constituents. I did not realize that congressional offices preform a lot of casework, which is specific to solving an issue for a singular constituent, like petitioning a government agency on the behalf of a constituent, and I have had opportunities to directly help others who feel they have exhausted other resources and need guidance on what to do.
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Second Blogpost
My internship has given me the opportunity to better picture a future working within a congressional office, or alongside Capitol Hill with a nonprofit organization. I have realized that while politics is a piece of what congressional offices and nonprofits do, the passion that drives people to work in the public and often the private sector of policy is the love of helping others and trying to create positive change.
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Mariah Lipscomb, English major
First Blogpost
My internship consists of two semesters of student teaching in an elementary classroom in preparation to become a fully licensed teacher in Virginia. For my fall and spring semester, I am working in the same fourth-grade classroom, so I have the same mentor teacher and homeroom students for both semesters. In the elementary school that I’ve been placed in by the College of Education at the University of Mary Washington, they are compartmentalized, meaning that the fourth-grade teachers are made into teams where one teaches Virginia history and English language arts and the other teaches mathematics and science. They each have …Read more
Second Blogpost
To make it clear from the beginning, no day is “typical” when it comes to teaching. Every day is unique, because different concepts are being taught, different content is being covered, and unique situations and experiences are happening. However, students and teachers thrive the best when they follow routines, and that is definitely true for me and my class. To clarify, my internship is in an elementary school, and I am student teaching in a fourth-grade classroom.
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Falmouth Elementary School
Alexis St. Clair, Psychology and Sociology double major
Alexis This semester, my internship is at Falmouth Elementary School in Stafford, VA. I found this internship under UMW’s psychology internship page where I was looking for an opportunity to work with a school counselor. In high school, I loved my school counselor so much that I made sure my fourth block was free so that I could spend time outside the counselor’s offices in the lounge in case they needed someone to run counseling passes. I did this because even in high school I could see just how important her job was and how often she was engaging with students. I found the most intriguing part of her job to be how she was able to get to know students personally. This helped her to make individualized schedules, give direction with future career goals, and help students in regard to an academic setting and academia itself. So, I wanted to get experience doing this myself. Read more
Second Blogpost
Obtaining this internship went differently than I thought it was going to. I knew I wanted to do an internship in the spring, but I was very intimidated by UMW’s long list of opportunities. I really wanted to try all of them! I also thought that it would be like signing up for classes at the beginning of the semester, but it was not.
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Meghan McLees, Psychology major
First Blogpost
I found my internship through using our Handshake, a job and internship platform that the UMW Career Center provides to students and alumni. After I learned more about the organization and its dedication to low-economic neighborhoods in the Richmond area, and its purpose to provide extra help and resources to those kids, I knew how important it would
be to be a part of a child’s relationship with the school. One of the key parts of my internship is working in small groups with the children in reading and math. I learned to create lesson plans designed to the children’s needs. When creating my first lesson plan, it was hard because I had not yet met some of the students and was not sure what topics they were struggling with.
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Second Blogpost
Interning at the Youth Life Foundation of Richmond (YLFR) has brought up numerous topics that I have learned about previously as a psychology major. For example, one of the topics we discussed in one of my development classes was how learning can be different for each individual child. The kids that I have been working with are from the ages of 6-10 years old, which encompasses middle to late childhood. These students are actually bilingual in Spanish and English, or are learning to speak English. Since most of them live with parents that speak do not speak English, it’s hard for them in the school system. In their school, there are no bilingual teachers or anyone to translate the information to these students.Read more
Olivia Lewis, Political Science major
Abigail Spanberger’s Campaign
First Blogpost
My internship is working on the campaign for Abigail Spanberger’s reelection to Congress in 2022. Being a political science major, I wanted to find an internship in which I would engage in politics and meet politicians. This particular internship was mentioned by one of my professors and I jumped on the opportunity to apply for a position that was not only close to the University of Mary Washington and home, but it was also for a local female politician. Once I knew I was accepted into the internship I was ecstatic knowing that I would be working and helping with a campaign. Within my first two weeks, I was able to meet Abigail at an office opening party and I knew from that moment that I had made the right decision to intern for this campaign. She is a coalition builder, she is qualified, she is willingly to work nonpartisan to accomplish important tasks and she is a “regular person” who is there for her constituents. Read more
Second Blogpost
Working as an intern at Abigail Spanberger’s campaign field office in Fredericksburg has been an exciting and rewarding experience. Every day is different, and I’ve learned so much about the campaign process and how it all comes together.
One of the most important stages of the campaign that I’ve been involved in is the persuasion stage. This is where we focus on talking to voters who are undecided, independent, or have voted for both parties in the past. These voters are crucial for us to reach because they can swing either way and can make a big impact on the outcome of the election. During this stage, we spend a lot of time having conversations with these voters, listening to their concerns and discussing Abigail’s positions on the issues that matter to them.Read more
Delaney Dunnigan, American Studies major
James Monroe Museum
First Blogpost
James Monroe Museum
My internship journey so far has been chock-full of irreplicable experiences. While I was originally supposed to work with a different museum, due to many reasons they are no longer hosting their internship program for this summer. However, the James Monroe Museum has kindly taken me under their wing and let me explore so many opportunities that I never would have been able to otherwise.
My supervisor, Lindsey Crawford, has allowed me to explore my interests in Indigenous Studies in the museum field. I have been able to plan the Native American History Month’s content for this year, which has been exciting and challenging. Read more
Second Blogpost
My internship with the James Monroe Museum has been a wonderful opportunity for me to learn more about a potential career in museums. Since my last blog post, I have had the privilege of being included in talks with the director of the James Monroe Museum, the James Farmer Multicultural Center, and the guest speaker we are planning on hosting for Native American History Month. The conversations we had during the planning process were extremely enlightening. For example, we discussed the importance of being sensitive to the content we plan to highlight and how it can affect different people. This led to our decision to include the Talley Center in our program to ensure that there would be a safe space for people to discuss how the content has impacted them.Read more
Noah Adcock-Howeth, Business Administration major
Lexington County Blowfish of the Coastal Plain League (CPL).
First Blogpost
Lexington County Blowfish of the Coastal Plain League (CPL)
This summer I am working as the play-by-play broadcast intern for the Lexington County Blowfish of the Coastal Plain League (CPL). The Coastal Plain League is a summer baseball league for premier college players to gain experience in the grind of everyday baseball while honing their skills and attempting to draw the attention of scouts for future contracts. Leagues like this one are all over the country, with varying degrees of size and talent level, but the CPL is located primarily in the Carolinas and is one of the top 2-3 leagues in the nation.
While I’ve been around baseball as a player or coach since I was about five years old, this was my first summer stepping away from the ballfield and into the front office. It was also my first endeavor into baseball broadcasting. While I do the play-by-play for fall and winter sports at Mary Washington, being a member of the UMW Baseball team prevents and excludes me from calling my own games.Read more
Second Blogpost
As my time with the Lexington County Blowfish came to a close, I reflected on my summer of broadcasting, sales training, and even guest playing on the actual roster. Looking back, I can’t believe how far I’ve come and all that I’ve accomplished this summer. In this blog post, I want to share how I found this amazing opportunity, which brought me two states and seven hours away from Fredericksburg.Read more
Brianna D’Albis, Business Administration (Marketing) major
All In Solutions
First Blogpost
All In Solutions and Spotsylvania Farmers Market
My first internship is as a Marketing Intern at All In Solutions in May. AIS is a veteran and woman-owned small business specializing in advancing clients’ business objectives and fueling innovation quickly and accurately through managed services, IT solutions, and strategic initiatives.
As their Marketing Intern, I am in charge of three projects this summer: to design a new business card, revamp the company’s presence on social media platforms, and redesign the website. I started work on the new business cards since AIS had several new employees starting in June. I love working on graphic design projects, and this one was no different. I was able Read more
Second Blogpost
“A Day in the Life” of a marketing intern, over two days since I was extra and took on two internships.
Friday: All In Solutions, Marketing Intern
8:00: (This is in the a.m., in case you were wondering). I wake up and spend fifteen minutes playing snooze tag. As this is a virtual internship, I can spend the time I would be commuting, contemplating life from my bed.
9:00: I get on my work laptop with my coffee in hand.Read more
Laura Solis Ulloa, Anthropology major
Downtown Greens
First Blogpost
Downtown Greens Fredericksburg
Having the opportunity to be a Garden Education Intern with Downtown Greens here in the city of Fredericksburg has been a gift. The intern position for me has revolved around assisting with the Downtown Greens’ summer camps as well as assisting with their Youth Farm Program. At this point, I have had the chance to learn, play, and teach alongside different children, and garden educators.Read more
Second Blogpost
Looking back, after having completed my internship with Downtown Greens as a Garden Education intern, the opportunity was one I could not have missed. In the spring semester of 2022, I took an anthropology course with Professor Mentore here at UMW which was centered around the topic of the Age of the Anthropocene. A large portion of the course was focused on Permaculture design principles, which can be explained more simply as strategic sustainable agriculture designs. Professor Mentore had the class take a trip to Downtown Greens and analyze the locations and existence of water sources, wind patterns, human pathways, sun patterns, etc. I fell in love with the greenspace at Downtown Greens and knew I wanted to be more involved with the organization. I followed them on Instagram and learned that they were taking applications for various internship positions. I then applied to the Garden Education intern position due to my experience of working with children. From there, the rest is history!Read more
Sophia Ferens, majoring in Environmental Science
Huntley Meadows Park
First Blogpost
This summer, I’ve had the pleasure of working as an intern at Huntley Meadows Park in Alexandria, Virginia. I first learned about this position on Handshake, as I was desperately searching for an internship that related to my environmental science degree and would give me useful skills for my future career, and this internship seemed almost too good to be true. Thankfully, I didn’t hit my head and dream it up and I’ve been enjoying my time at Huntley Meadows ever since. Read more
Second Blogpost
When I began my internship at the start of the summer, I didn’t know what a typical day would look like while working at Huntley Meadows Park. Excitingly enough for me, there was no “typical day” in terms of the work we were doing at the park. Some days involved smaller tasks, like trail maintenance, spraying herbicide on invasive, or setting up exclusion fencing to prevent beavers and Canadian geese from destroying important native plant species. On other days I was doing something completely new, like going to a different Fairfax County Park and hand pulling water chestnuts (an invasive plant species in Virginia) in a lake while balanced precariously in a kayak.Read more
Hannah Abraham, Sociology major
Fredericksburg Regional Food Bank
First Blogpost
This summer, I’m interning at the Fredericksburg Regional Food Bank in Fredericksburg, Virginia. The food bank is committed to ending hunger and food insecurity in the city of Fredericksburg and surrounding regions. This is my very first internship, and so far it has been more rewarding than I ever imagined it could be.
I have the opportunity to help with this summer’s “Summer Feeding” program. I’m also in charge of distributing “food preference” surveys which allow people to share their food preferences based on ethnic or cultural preferences. These past couple of months at the food bank have been eye-opening, educational, and rewarding.Read more
Second Blogpost
My internship at the Fredericksburg Regional Food Bank has continued to be a rewarding experience. More surveys have been collected and more people are being fed each day without the burden of not knowing where there next meal will originate.
I knew I wanted to have an internship this summer doing something related to my major. After researching places near Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania, and Stafford, I started emailing different homeless shelters, shelters for women experiencing domestic violence, social services, and food banks. I heard back from many who said they already had interns for the summer, didn’t offer any internships, or simply didn’t respond to my many emails..Read more
Emma Dabolt, Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies major
Rappahannock Council against Sexual Assault (RCASA)
First Blogpost
I began my internship with RCASA this spring and will be continuing working with them for the duration of the summer. RCASA is a non-profit organization which works in Fredericksburg and the surrounding areas to provide both direct support to survivors of sexual assault and to support people indirectly impacted by sexual violence, such as friends or family. When I was searching for internships, I knew I wanted to work with an organization somehow related to my major, which is Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Read more
Second Blogpost
As a Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies major, my internship at Rappahannock Council Against Sexual Assault (RCASA) has greatly related to my courses. RCASA provides support services to survivors of sexual violence and their loved ones, as well as educational services to help inform people about the intricacies of sexual violence. These include but are not limited to how to support individuals who have experienced sexual violence, who is impacted by sexual violence, and what societal factors impact sexual violence.Read more
Clare Lewis, Majored in History, Happy Erasmus Bilbao
Happy Erasmus Bilbao
Interning abroad was not my first choice. Before the pandemic struck, I dreamed of studying abroad in Spain. I had seen pictures of the Universidad de Deusto, in all its neoclassical glory seated by the sparkling estuary that divides Bilbao neatly in half. My mind conjured images of taking notes in lecture halls with vaulted ceilings, interacting with the quirky yet fashionable student populace, and roaming the nearby city streets. Read more
Patrick Smedley, Business Administration major
The Hoop Group
First Blogpost
I found my internship with The Hoop Group thanks to help from my teammate and my assistant coach of the UMW men’s basketball team. My teammate, Riley, did this internship last year and has mentioned how beneficial it was for him to be at events and begin networking for his desire to start a career in coaching. That had immediately piqued my interest for a potential sports management internship to complete the last part of my sports management minor. Read more
Second Blogpost
The internship I did this summer at The Hoop Group has allowed me to experience a lot of different concepts taught in my classes and brought them to life. The area where I saw the biggest overlap between class concepts and real life experiences was with my class in events and facilities management, which largely described the actions I performed as an operations intern. In this class, I learned about the 5 Cs of event management:
- Concept
- Coordination
- Control
- Culmination
- Closeout Read more
New posts will be shared every week; check back regularly for more from our UMW interns!The students who are telling their stories here all applied for, and received, internship grants from UMW. For more information on upcoming grant cycles, deadlines, and criteria, please contact the Career Center or give us a call at 540-654-5646, or stop by the Center for Career and Professional Development (UC Suite 206) to make an appointment. For quick and easy questions, feel free to email us at ccpd@umw.edu.